


Fighting for You Everyday

by Rhang



Series: Samerik: The AU [10]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: A lovers quarrel, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Engaged, Established Relationship, Flashback, M/M, Sometimes you need friends to help you gain perspective, The fic I was saving the drama for, There's hurt feelings but they get it together somewhat by the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-20 09:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14257614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhang/pseuds/Rhang
Summary: Because even when we’re fighting, I’m fighting for you everyday





	Fighting for You Everyday

**Author's Note:**

> A conversation Erik and Sam have about their wedding regarding Erik's family creates friction in their relationship 
> 
> Any mistakes you find are mine.

They’d been engaged for a few months but like anything with Erik, he made it feel so special. At first they both acted like they weren’t planning their wedding but every few days they’d each have some ideas on a venue, colors or themes and would casually discuss what they were feeling for the day of. So they decided they needed to give it all an afternoon to talk it all out and start putting certain things in stone.

After two hours a tense stalemate formed about the guest list for the wedding. Erik was staring at Sam unmoved at Sam’s reasoning for inviting Erik’s family from Wakanda to their wedding.

“Babe, it’s an important day. Don’t you think you’ll look back and wish you had family from your side there?” Sam asked.

Erik crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. “No, Sam, I won’t. I’ll look back and hopefully remember how happy I was saying my vows. I’m not finna be worried about who was there,” Erik said getting heated the more Sam pressed the issue. _Why couldn’t Sam just drop it already and respect his wishes?_

“Erik, I think you should invite them,” Sam said softly. “They’re your family.”

“They ain’t my family,” Erik said rolling his eyes.

“Don’t say that,” Sam said sitting forward in his seat. “They’ll always be your family.”

“What part of ‘ _they’re NOT my family_ ’ do you not get Sam? I get why family means so much to you, how could it not when you got Ms. Darlene and Sarah in ya corner? Yeah my daddy told me about Wakanda and the relatives there. But were they there when I buried him when I was 10? I was 10 Sam! Were they there to comfort me? HELL, take my ass in before I became a ward of the state? Hell nah! They knew full well I was over here alone and do you think that moved them? It didn’t,” Erik said calming himself down, tears prickling his eyes. “So let’s just dead this issue here and now, Sam. They are not welcome and I do _not_ want to see them. End of story. I’m fine with whoever else you want there.”

Erik got up from the kitchen table and went to his workshop. He needed space to cool his head. He loved Sam, he really did, but it annoyed Erik how Sam’s upbringing clouded his ability to see things from Erik’s perspective at times like this. Yeah Sam lost his dad young as well, but he had his mom and sister there to help him through that, he had his family there since then. Erik ignored how alone he’d been since his dad’s passing and tried not to hold on to the bitterness and resentment he felt at his father for leaving him in this world alone. Or even think about how his father spoke so highly of his family in Wakanda, the people that never even reached out to him after his dad died, to ask if Erik was going to be okay.

 _Some family they turned out to be_ , he thought turning on the music in the workshop. He started up his computer and turned on his work table to see if any of his simulations had finished rendering. 

He only vaguely heard the front door open and shut hard behind the music.

 

* * *

 Sam thought spending the night at the Tower downtown and putting some space between him and Erik would be best. But waking up alone in the guest room just made Sam feel depressed.

“Hey Sam, how’s Erik?” Rhodey asked walking into the kitchen.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Sam said wanting to finish his cereal in peace without thinking about Erik.

“Uh, I’m going to assume something happened,” Rhodey said pouring a cup of coffee.

“What gave you that idea?” Sam said flatly.

“You’re staying here at the Tower instead of at your house, you know your home, which you share……with Erik,” Rhodey said slowly.

“Nothing happened,” Sam said.

“Right,” Rhodey said walking back out of the kitchen.

Steve stood waiting in the hall to hear what Rhodey found out as he came back from the kitchen.

“They’re fighting. It’ll blow over. He’s fine,” Rhodey said easily.

“You sure?” Steve asked concerned.

“Yeah Steve. I know those two, they’ll work it out,” Rhodey said heading back to his room to get ready for his flight to LA in an hour.

-

-

“Hey Sam, what are you doing here?” Banner asked as he walked past the shared living room.

“I’m reading why?” Sam said minding his business.

“What’s with the attitude?” Banner asked.

“Bruce, I’m minding my business over here okay. Just leave me be alright,” Sam said trying to ignore why he was in such a poor mood.

“Fine. Erik coming by later? You staying for dinner?” Banner asked as Sam got up and walked out of the living room and went to the conference room for some solitude.

“Was it something I said?” Banner asked as Steve walked in the room.

“What was that?” Steve asked.

“What’s up with Sam?” Banner asked concerned. “He seems upset.”

“Did you mention Erik?”

“Yeah but just if Erik was coming by,” Banner explained.

Steve cringed and shook his head. “They’re fighting,” Steve said.

“Oooh!” Banner said instantly understanding and thankful that he was currently single. 

-

-

Sam entered the conference room only to find Bucky in there sitting at the table using the computer.

“Hey Sam, been a while. You okay?” Bucky asked not looking up.

“No, I’m not,” Sam said moving to take a seat. He didn’t want to talk to Rhodey, Steve or Bruce. But for some reason he wanted to talk around Bucky. Maybe because the assassin wasn’t much of a talker to begin with.

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asked still not looking up from the computer screen. This made Sam feel better not having the man’s full attention.

“It’s Erik,” Sam confessed.

“What happened?”

“He doesn’t want to invite his family to our wedding,” Sam said remembering their argument.

Bucky stopped to look up at him. “That’s a problem because?”

“He already doesn’t talk to them because of things that happened in the past. I’m trying to encourage him to invite them so they can work on their differences,” Sam explained.

“Sam, it’s your wedding, not a therapy session. I can see that your heart is in the right place but maybe Erik doesn’t want to deal with that on your big day. Maybe he just wants your wedding to belong to both of you. Family is important but Erik doesn’t strike me as the type to care about making amends if he hasn’t already been working on it,” Bucky explained.

Sam sucked his teeth and sighed. “I just want the day to be special. I want him to have family there too,” Sam said.

“He will. He’ll have you, your mom, your sister and the all of us,” Bucky said looking back to his computer.

Sam thought about it for a moment and sighed again.

 

* * *

 Sam decided to go home a little while after talking to Bucky. He still felt that Erik would benefit from mending things with his family but he knew he couldn’t force Erik to do that. All he could do was support Erik’s decision and encourage him whenever he decided he was ready to reach out to them, if ever.

Sam walked in the house and heard the TV on in the living room. He took a deep breath and went to see his fiancée. Erik was up, on his laptop watching _Chopped_ on the TV. He stood there watching Erik work and thought about how he felt spending the day apart from him. While it seemed like a good idea to leave last night, Sam suddenly felt maybe he should have just stayed put last night.

“Dinner’s in the microwave if you’re hungry,” Erik said not looking his way.

Sam sighed and went to Erik. Sam sat on the coffee table and faced the other. Erik looked up and stared at him through his glasses as if waiting for Sam to say something.

“I did some thinking and I understand where you’re coming from. We won’t invite them,” Sam said softly.

“That’s what you were doing? You could have done that sleeping on the couch,” Erik said flatly. “I thought you leaving like that meant you were calling the engagement off or something.”

Sam felt his stomach drop. “No babe, no. That wasn’t it,” Sam assured him.

“How would I know Sam, you weren’t here so I could ask you. You also weren’t answering my calls so what was I to think?”

Sam sighed and felt bad about his behavior. “I’m sorry N’Jakada, I’m sorry I walked out instead of staying to talk and not answering your calls.”

Erik nodded and set his laptop aside. He wiped his eyes and sat forward.

“I get why you pressed so hard, it’s part of why I love you. But I don’t have the same desire you have to have my family in my life babe. I just don’t,” Erik said taking Sam’s hands in his. Sam held on to Erik. Sam looked into the other's eyes and saw tears start falling silently.

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked moving to pull Erik into his arms.

Erik cleared his throat and hid his face in Sam’s shoulder. “Just relieved…thought I pushed you away, thought I honestly lost you there for a moment,” Erik whispered.

Sam stared up at the ceiling and felt his throat tighten. Shit, he hadn’t thought about what walking out on the other would do to him. How it would make Erik feel, after Erik had just told him how abandoned he felt by his family.

“No way babe, I’m right here,” Sam said rubbing a hand down Erik’s back. “I’m right here love.”

**Author's Note:**

> Within this AU, I mainly wrote from the point of Erik having grown up hearing about Wakanda and knowing he has family there. But N’Jobu passing away and none of this family being present for the funeral planning, burial or even checking in on Erik since then created a rift. That Erik’s anger toward them grows from that sense of abandonment he must have felt not having his own family be there for him. I had to approach the subject somehow to at least to give Erik a chance to explain how he feels surrounding the issue. Also highlight the differences the two have regarding family since they are so close to getting married. Best to get these things out before you walk down the aisle anyways.
> 
> We're almost to the end yall.


End file.
